Diabetes is on the rise in Canada. It’s a major illness that is affecting people at younger ages and people are living longer with diabetes. “Preventative care” is fundamental to living well with this illness. In diabetes, the whole body is affected, including the feet. As diabetes affects blood circulation and increases nerve sensitivity, feet are particularly prone to problems. It is very important for diabetics to clean their feet daily, to do a daily foot check and to have them checked regularly by a chiropodist, even though there may not be any problems obvious to you. For example, some signs to watch for and to act upon are itchiness, redness, bruising, burning, blisters, coolness, roughened areas, lack of sensitivity to temperature and of course any pain in the feet.

As trained chiropodists, your foot care specialists see a range of people with diabetes.

Some come for regular care of their foot-related concerns and problems such as poor circulation, foot pain, corns, calluses, fungal infections, etc. Some of our other patients with diabetes come in with low-grade sores and blisters. Others have more progressed ulcers, infections and even gangrene and are at risk of requiring surgical care. Whether it is you or a loved one that suffers from diabetes, chiropodists are specially trained in proper foot care for patients with diabetes, including proper wound treatment.

The chiropodists at Ontario Foot and Orthotics do full diabetic assessments and help you with your feet no matter what current state of health you are in with respect to your diabetes. Ontario Foot and Orthotics takes part in outreach diabetes-related events in the community.

For more information, or to book an assessment, contact Ontario Foot and Orthotics at 905-878-6479 in Milton Or visit us online at www.ontariofoot.ca.